Markey And Ocasio-Cortez Are Working On 'Green New Deal' Legislation

Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and New York U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are working together on legislation fleshing out the ambitious Green New Deal, his office confirms to WBUR.

A spokeswoman says there's no final legislative text yet, nor a date for a bill to be introduced. Axios first reported late Wednesday on the joint effort by the two Democrats.

The Green New Deal has emerged as the key progressive plan for combating climate change while also remaking the U.S. economy to be more equitable. Though so far the concept has lacked specific details, its main planks include rapidly moving the country to 100 percent renewable energy and creating a federal jobs guarantee.

A number of Democratic candidates for president, including Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, say they are in support of a Green New Deal.

As Axios notes:

The two Democrats leading the proposal represent a bridge between the old and new guard progressives. Markey was co-author of the last big climate-change legislation Congress considered a decade ago, while Ocasio-Cortez is the highest profile member of a new crop of House progressives.